Reading rank 391
The Empire of the Air
, subject: Bird flight and early aviation
The aeronautical book that helped turn the Wright brothers' curiosity about flight into an idea that possessed them.
4
Coverage Score
2
Scored evidence
About the book
Published in Paris in 1881, the illustrated ornithological study became an important source for Wilbur Wright, who called it one of the most remarkable works of aeronautical literature he had read.
Why read it
Best if you want the nineteenth-century flight study David identifies as one of the books that intensified Wilbur Wright's commitment to aviation.
Key themes
- Reading can activate a mission
- An idea that invades the brain
- Enthusiasm passes between generations
Evidence and original sources
This record is supported by 2 public evidence rows linked to original Founders episodes.
- The Wright Brothers — David explains that Mouillard's book affected Wilbur Wright more than anything he had yet read and uses its warning about an idea invading the brain to describe the brothers' consuming commitment to flight.
- The Wright Brothers — David describes Mouillard's book as profoundly affecting Wilbur Wright, who considered it remarkable aeronautical literature; its claim that the idea of flight can possess the brain captures the brothers' move from curiosity to active work.
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